6 books to read this summer, according to Philly librarians

Whether you’re down the Shore or sipping margaritas al fresco, a good book is an essential summer accessory. That quick-read sci-fi or slow-burn romance in your tote bag is the perfect excuse to dip out of reality, if only for a little while.

And who better to recommend summer reading than Philly’s wonderfully knowledgeable librarians? (BookTok, we love you, but we’ve been burned.)

We spoke to Free Library of Philadelphia experts to help you get your TBR (”to be read”) in order. Whether you want something intellectually stimulating, or something more frothy, these librarian-approved books run the gamut — there’s no one definition of a “summer book.” From high school lovers caught in a rival family cheesesteak food truck war to a murderer running amok on a The Great British Bake Off parody show, these picks will fill your summer with adventure page after page.

A tender exploration of gender, sex, relationships, and parenthood, Torrey Peters navigates the messy, vulnerable elements of womanhood with three characters: Reese, a trans woman; her ex, Ames, who once lived as a woman and detransitioned; and Katrina, a cisgendered woman and Ames’ boss. When Ames gets Katrina pregnant, they try to reconnect with Reese to become a three-person co-parent family for the baby. The conversations they have as they decide whether or not they want to raise the child together bring forth questions about motherhood and womanhood. “It’s about radical honesty, and being honest about who you are and not putting up a facade for other people,” said Shelley Rosen, adult and teens services librarian at the Independence Library.

If you would like a free copy, join the library’s book club, which will meet June 29 at 4 p.m. at the Independence Library branch, 18 S. Seventh Street.

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Jordan Plazas and Cindy Ortiz hate each other — they sling cheesesteaks as well as they do insults. But with the backdrop of a family food truck rivalry, these Philly high schoolers are secret star-crossed lovers who find themselves on a reality TV show where the lie gets bigger and harder to keep. “I love reading middle-grade YA because I find it better written than some adult books,” said Allegra D’Ambruoso, acting supervisor and children’s librarian at Fishtown Community Library. Written by local Philly author Eric Smith, this young adult romance is perfect for those looking for a bit of summer lovin’.

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The Great British Bake Off meets Clue in author Jessa Maxwell’s debut book, released in March. The story kicks off when six bakers arrive at a Vermont estate to film a reality TV baking show. As the competition heats up, things go awry, from sabotage to murder. For Link Ross, The Golden Spoon was the perfect recipe for fun, mixing reality TV and mystery. “Anything that overlaps pop culture and fiction is always interesting to me,” said Ross, librarian at the Fumo Family Library in South Philly.

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If you’re looking for a good mix of “catchy action and beautiful writing,” Stacy Wyatt, head librarian of adult and teen department at Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library, says to pick up The City We Became.

Author N.K. Jemisin — Locus, Hugo, and Nebula award winner many times over — is known for creating fantastical worlds that seamlessly weave complex themes of cultural conflict and oppression. From the first page, Jemisin spins “cool world building and magical realism,” Wyatt said, through characters who embody New York’s five boroughs: Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. The book follows their fight against the movement to urbanize and erase the culture and grit of the city, with the help of other personified cities who have suffered at the hands of this growing enemy. “There’s a really lovely mix of writing poetically about the city and what makes cities wonderful, but then you get some very action-packed, fast-paced bits as well,” said Wyatt.

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In his graphic memoir, James Spooner illustrates growing up in the West Coast punk scene in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s as a mixed race young person in a mostly white community outside of Los Angeles. Spooner shares what being Black in the punk scene during that time was like, how punk rock influenced his identity, and how it gave him permission to be himself when surrounded by suburban normalcy. Despite coming from a different life experience, Kaley Iacovetta felt connected to the feeling of being an awkward middle schooler who’s unsure of their place in the world. The writing and art neatly threads Spooner’s story together — “there’s something about when someone is not only telling their story but drawing their story that adds this additional level of intimacy and window into their world,” said Iacovetta, adult and teen services librarian at Fishtown Community Library.

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Imagine you and 20 others survive a nuclear war, only to end up holed up in a Swiss hotel with a murderer on the loose. Library supervisor at Widener Library Tim Horras suggests diving into author Hanna Jameson’s gripping post-apocalyptic novel that “challenges us to uncover a clearer vision of how we live our lives in the present day.” Follow an American academic as he uncovers the truth behind the mysterious death of a little girl and grapples with the unknown fate of his family, as he questions whether he’ll lose his mind in the hotel or take his chances outside.

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